Back to School... Almost

Today was our first day back to the regular routine. Or, it was supposed to be.

I set my alarm for 6:45am. We've been getting up around 8:00am, so this was going to be an adjustment. And it was. I hit snooze. Then I hit snooze again.

Then I woke up at 7:43am.

Evidently I'd just turned the alarm completely off.

So I rushed the girls up and out of bed, promising them "Breakfast in the car!" as a super-special treat. It's about a 15-minute drive to the girls' school and they are supposed to be there by 8:30am. My girls like to get there a bit earlier so they have more outdoor playtime, but it was drizzly today so I figured they weren't missing anything and we were right on schedule to make it there by 8:26am.

Just as I'd gotten everyone bundled up and ready to go, I reached for my keys and realized they were not on their hook. (We took David's car on our holiday tour of the midwest, so I haven't driven my car since before Christmas.)

I called David because I had a sinking feeling they were in his car (and he was already at work). But he checked and they weren't there. I called my mom, but she hadn't found them at her house. So I kept searching all the likely places, but I knew they weren't in my house.

I sat the girls down in the kitchen to eat their breakfast and kept searching. I had that sweaty yucky feeling of being late and was just glad that I don't have to be back at work until next week! I ran upstairs and looked everywhere I could think they might be. No luck.

Finally, I retraced my steps from the day we left. I'd run back to lock the door after everyone was in the car. I'd looked out in the alley and saw David in our car talking to the neighbor. I thought the neighbor wanted to pull into his driveway (which our car was blocking), so I rushed to my car, unlocked it and grabbed my sunglasses, then hopped in the car with David and the girls.

And sure enough, I found my keys.

In the ignition of my car.

Where they had been sitting for a week.

Now, I do drive a ten year old Honda with two car seats and a zillion miles, but I still want to take this as a sign that the world just might be more good than bad.

Anyway, I ran back inside, called the school to let them know we were on our way but we'd be a few minutes late, got the girls bundled up again in their coats, and loaded them up in the car.

Then I turned the key in the ignition and... nothing.

My car was completely dead. No lights at all.

So I softly bashed my head against the steering wheel and then called the school to let them know we probably weren't going to make it at all today.

(Zuzu was very concerned that her teachers would miss her, which was really sweet and also made me laugh.)

It was 9:00am by the time a neighbor came over to help me jumpstart the car, and then the battery pack we were using needed to be recharged, so basically I never should have gotten out of bed today.

Oh--and David moved his truck yesterday so it wouldn't get ticketed from the street cleaning and then our next door neighbor called me this morning to remind me that TODAY is street cleaning day. So I ran out and moved the truck. We can't keep track of anything around here (and D even uses a reminder on his phone to tell him to move the truck--I don't know what's going on with that).

Another stay-at-home day for the girls isn't the worst idea in the world--they are both fighting colds and I've got some congestion going on as well, so we are just taking it easy and starting real life tomorrow instead of today. We ended up having an impromptu playdate with the son of the neighbor who tried to help me start the car, and as soon as I finish this, I'll tackle that laundry pile downstairs. I may need another cup of coffee though...

2017, so far you are proving to be a bit of a challenge! I think we're up for it, though. We just need an extra day to prepare.